Solar Heater Overheating Pool with Jandy Controller

[MaxSmart]

My rooftop solar heater tubes keep overheating my water. The temperature is set to pool 86, spa 100, but the solar never turns off - once the spa reached 117, and the pool today was 96. Is the controller (which is controlling the solar heater via an actuator) supposed to be smarter than this? In other words, is this a configuration issue, a need-to-upgrade issue, or is this something that pool equipment just doesn't handle?
I have a Jandy 6474-G controller board. The keypad is Fafco RS4 on the front, but keeps saying "Aqualink by Jandy".
Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

Could be the programming is wrong. Or the temperature sensors are damaged. Or the actuator is not properly turning when commanded, either due to something wrong in the actuator or with the wires running to it.

Will the actuator turn if you flip the toggle switch on it?

 

[MaxSmart]

Yes, it turns on and off just find using the button (or by setting a timer). But when it's switched on on the control panel, the valve stays open, even if the set temperature is reached (and surpassed). I don't see a separate auxilary heater temperature, just a pool and spa temperature. The gas heater (also controlled by the panel) gets turned off when the desired temperature is reached.
(this is a pool-spa combo setup)

 

[jblizzle]

I would think that there would be a separate solar temperature setting. At least there is on the Hayward automation systems

I am wondering if the solar panel thinks that the actuator is off when in fact it is on. Meaning that the toggle switch got flipped somehow

 

[MaxSmart]

Would the solar tubes have their own system typically? I don't know of any controller, the actuator that bypasses/routes to the roof tubes is controlled by the main controller. I also don't believe that it shuts itself off when it's too cold to work (ie the heat loss to the air is less than the heat gained by sun). The toggle switch *was* flipped, I discovered this a few weeks ago, it was causing the on/off on the panel to be reversed for the solar.

 

[markayash]

Where do you live, i always wondered if solar heaters work.

 

[jgarden]

MaxSmart,

How much solar panels do you have? Those are some serious temps you are getting.

 

[jblizzle]

Would the solar tubes have their own system typically? I don't know of any controller, the actuator that bypasses/routes to the roof tubes is controlled by the main controller. I also don't believe that it shuts itself off when it's too cold to work (ie the heat loss to the air is less than the heat gained by sun). The toggle switch *was* flipped, I discovered this a few weeks ago, it was causing the on/off on the panel to be reversed for the solar.

I don't understand your first question.

I had up add the solar temperature sensor (usually up by the panels), tell the controller with valve was for solar heating, enable solar heating and set the desired temperature.

I don't have a gas heater hooked up, so that might complicate the programming a bit. Not sure if setting the pool temp and spa temp is the same as what would be used for the solar controls.

 

[MaxSmart]

The solar array is quite simple. There's a valve right after the main pump, with an actuator - one setting of this valve sends water to the roof, the other way bypasses the roof. The actuator is plugged into the Jandy Aqualink panel, on an AUX plug. It's labelled on the control panel (inside) as "AUX Heat", it has a button right next to "Pool Heat" and "Spa Heat". When I turn it on (or program it to turn on during certain hours of the day), the actuator sends water to the roof. Unlike the Pool and Spa heat buttons, however, it doesn't turn off once the desired temp ("Pool Temp" if in pool mode, "Spa Temp" if it's in spa mode) is reached.

There's a (unused) plug on the panel for a "Solar Temperature Sensor", I don't see how this would help with the overheating, but perhaps it causes the panel to turn off solar if it's hurting rather than helping (ie if the air temp is too cold and/or it is too cloudy, so the panels are losing heat)?

https://www.jandy.com/-/media/zodiac/global/downloads/0748-91071/6840.pdf

Live in central Florida, solar array on roof it about same area as the pool surface. It doesn't help at all in the winter, but in the summer it overheats the pool. It does help with the spa, I have it running in "spa mode" 4-6pm every day and it gets the spa closer to desired temp pretty quickly. If I could get it to control properly, it would save money on heat! As it is now, it's scary to get into the hot tub with the solar array on because it might slowly rise the temperature to unsafe levels, so I usually turn the gas heater on before getting it and turn the solar off.

 

[jblizzle]

I don't think the controller knows you have a solar heater. When you push the button that is just tripping a relay and the controller does not know it should turn it off. I also think you need to add the solar temperature sensor up on the roof near the panels so the controller knows when to turn the solar on.

 

[MaxSmart]

I don't think the controller knows you have a solar heater. When you push the button that is just tripping a relay and the controller does not know it should turn it off.

That's what I think too. It is treating it like a generic accessory, like a water feature or slide. I am trying to figure out if this controller can be set up to treat it as a secondary heat source. The documentation is pretty poor, or at least is done with experienced pool installers in mind, not going into depth about what the options do.

 

[Dodger]

Pretty sure you have to have a solar temp sensor plugged into terminals 3 & 4 of the 10-pin green connector. That's what tells the Jandy controller that you have solar.

And the solar JVA will say "Used" once you add that temp sensor. Do you know what your JVA assignments say now?

 

[MaxSmart]

This is very helpful, wish I had the manual so I could read up to understand everything. JVA = actuator, I gathered, but what are these "Program Groups"? It has a solar and cleaner setting too, but it's asking me to select an actuator for those, won't accept the "Solar" button which is in line with the Pool Heater and Spa Heater buttons.

 

[jblizzle]

This is very helpful, wish I had the manual so I could read up to understand everything. JVA = actuator, I gathered, but what are these "Program Groups"? It has a solar and cleaner setting too, but it's asking me to select an actuator for those, won't accept the "Solar" button which is in line with the Pool Heater and Spa Heater buttons.

You can get the manuals from the manufacturers website.

 

[Dodger]

Not sure I understand which controller you have (maybe post a pic?), but if there is a top level command like "System" or "System Setup", try selecting that and see if there is something like an "Assign JVAs" command at the next level. If yes, go into there and report back what it says for each JVA.

 

[Dodger]

Also, if you want to see what temp sensors are hooked up, here is the drawing of the typical configuration on the Aqualink board at your equipment pad. It should be the only 10-pin terminal and the only green one.

With power off, you can take a look to see which temp sensors are plugged in. It's doubtful you have anything in slots 3 & 4, or if there is something there, the connection is bad. In that case, you could try to re-seat, but it's more likely that the temp sensor went bad, as they tend to do, or the line was damaged/chewed. Once a good connection is made there, the Aqualink software will assume you have solar and the other logic can work in terms of temp monitoring.

 

[MaxSmart]

Sorry I've taken so long to get back to this, life got in the way of playing with my pool equipment.

"Assign JVA" on my RS4 panel has 2 options, Solar and Cleaner. The "Cancel" menu has no JVAs assigned to cancel.
(Unrelated issue, my spa-overflow one-way valves kept jamming open, causing spa to siphon empty, so I installed a JVA to shut off the connection between pool returns and those spa returns. The only open JVA plug was for "cleaner" so I was trying to assign that JVA to a programmable button, but it said the "Spillway" button which seems to do nothing "isn't an AUX", so I can't assign it to that. Point is, that's how I learned about the Assign JVA button )

For the temp sensor block you were so nice to include a picture of, I do have wires going to 1-8 just as in the photo - but will have to trace them to see if any of them terminate in an open wire or unattached sensor somewhere, or if like you suggested the sensor is bad or chewed up.

 

[Dodger]

If possible, can you post screenshots of your Assign JVA screen and what you call the "Cancel" menu?

Also, check your control board's dip switches (or post a pic!). It's possible that one of those is enabled, which would lock in your Spillover to Aux3.

In addition to tracing the wires, I would double-check the seating of temp sensor wires into slots 3 & 4 and make sure they are solid there.

 

[MaxSmart]

If possible, can you post screenshots of your Assign JVA screen and what you call the "Cancel" menu?

Also, check your control board's dip switches (or post a pic!). It's possible that one of those is enabled, which would lock in your Spillover to Aux3.

In addition to tracing the wires, I would double-check the seating of temp sensor wires into slots 3 & 4 and make sure they are solid there.

 

[Dodger]

(Unrelated issue, my spa-overflow one-way valves kept jamming open, causing spa to siphon empty, so I installed a JVA to shut off the connection between pool returns and those spa returns. The only open JVA plug was for "cleaner" so I was trying to assign that JVA to a programmable button, but it said the "Spillway" button which seems to do nothing "isn't an AUX", so I can't assign it to that. Point is, that's how I learned about the Assign JVA button )

Was trying to focus on the solar issue, but wondering whether above issue is having a ripple effect to the solar JVA.

The Spillway should run based on the basic 2 JVAs (Intake and Return) and that dip-switch #3 that is set to On. What additional JVA did you install? Where? Is that JVA plugged in somewhere right now? Pics of your equipment and valve position would help a lot.

What valve is jamming open? Sounds like it would be the Intake, which would drain the spa in Pool mode. That sticky valve needs to be addressed properly.

Lastly, in your photo, just confirming that the JVA that chooses solar panels (or not) is the one that is plugged into the SOLAR slot (4th from the left), and not another JVA that you may have installed.